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How did the COVID pandemic affect your martial arts journey?

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  • 30-05-2024 2:31pm
    #1
    biketard
    Registered Users Posts: 536 ✭✭✭


    I noticed a few people mentioning in the BJJ general thread how the COVID pandemic had interrupted their training and how coming back into it had ended up in injuries, etc. It dawned on me that this has probably been the case for a lot of people.

    Before COVID, I'd been regularly going to JKD, Kali and Muay Thai/kickboxing classes and had FINALLY just started going to BJJ. During lockdown, a few of us met once or twice a week online to practice Kali, with a bit of JKD too, but other than that, I was doing nothing. I was, however, training for a marathon, and I ended up totally wrecking my left knee (tendon), which I'm convinced was because I had totally stopped my cross-training (mostly the Muay Thai/kickboxing). It ended up taking a couple of years to sort that out and even though I slowly got back into the JKD, Kali and Muay Thai/kickboxing classes, it's only in the last six months that I've felt confident enough with my knee to get back into BJJ. Honestly, I'm not sure I'm 100% back to where I was pre-COVID overall.

    How's everyone else been doing?



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    #2
    Black Sheep
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 3,070 Mod ✭✭✭✭Black Sheep


    We had some people who were slow to come back, but at this stage- in fact, probably within 6 to 12 months- everyone who was coming back was back.

    I don't think we had many long term people quit. I think it mainly would have derailed people earlier on in their training.

    There were people who trained at home or based on private arrangements (their own bubbles), obviously they coped better. Distance / zoom training is not viable in bjj.

    The upside... dubious as it is.. There was a big backlog of people who were waiting to begin BJJ and needed covid to end for classes to restart.



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    #3
    biketard
    Registered Users Posts: 536 ✭✭✭biketard


    Thanks, Black Sheep. Now you mention it, a lot of long-term regulars at my club never came back after the restrictions ended, which is a real shame. That said, I also noticed a lot of new faces pretty soon after the doors re-opened. I know that always happens anyway, but the turnover was much bigger than usual. I suppose that's not surprising.

    You're right that BJJ training is not viable at home, but I know that I could've done a lot more to keep up with my stretching and strength training, but didn't.

    Another funny thing I noticed when I started back. There were quite a few people wearing wrist supports, knee supports, etc., and when I asked them what had happened, it was always stupid stuff like carrying shopping bags or getting out of bed wrong.



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